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The Standard Bank Group, through its Corporate and Investment Banking Division, has acted as lead arranger for the Morupule Expansion project. The signing ceremony was held on 20 May 2011 in Palapye, Botswana. The P1.2 billion-loan raised will be part of the contribution in bank and shareholder loans for the P1.7 billion required to expand output at the coal mine.

A billion Africans and 50 million bank accounts. In South Africa, credit cards are used by only 16.5% of the population (2008). No African country comes close to 1% of total retail spend spent online - the magic figure which constitutes the tipping point for digital retail growth. No wonder, then, that the ecommerce market in Africa hasn't bloomed.

NEW YORK, US: Consumer confidence fell in 25 out of 52 countries in Q4 2010 as hope for a global economic recovery evaporated at the end of last year, according to the latest edition of the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index, which tracks consumer confidence, major concerns and spending intentions among online consumers.

Juicy Lucy is opening a new store at Game City in Gaborone, Botswana. According to Alan Turp, MD of Retail Group which is the licensee for franchisor Java Brands in Botswana, this new look Juicy Lucy restaurant is upmarket and contemporary.

NEW YORK, US: After an upbeat start to the year with two consecutive quarters of increases in optimism, global consumer confidence fell three points in September to an Index of 90 as consumers' hopes for a full economic recovery this year fades in most parts of the world, according to the latest edition of the Nielsen Global Consumer Confidence Index.

The fully tenanted Princess Crossing Mall, situated in Ondekkers Road, Roodepoort, has been sold for close to R300 million to a West African investor - via a private property fund based in the Western Cape.

Game Stores has come a long way since it opened its first store in Durban in 1970 in cramped premises in the city's CBD, ringing up sales of R78 000 in its first month of trading. Its founders believed that shopping had become a tedious and boring pastime. They wanted to create a fun shopping environment and so conceptualised retailing as a game. The signature bright pink prevails to this day.

GABORONE: "The situation is now very bad, very bad for workers. It is no longer about the workers alone, it is about the government, the companies, everyone. We need to talk. Dialogue is the only solution." This was a response from Jack Tlhagale, secretary general of the Botswana Mine Workers Union (BMWU), when asked about the ongoing mine retrenchments and closures.

The Jet Community Awards, southern Africa's popular grassroots community awards programme, is open for entries once again to those extraordinary organisations and individuals who dedicate their time and energy to the upliftment of their local communities. Now in its sixth year, there's R1 million in prize money on offer and entries are being accepted from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland.

Struggling to boost its foreign currency reserves, a cash-strapped Zimbabwe government this week began charging duty in forex for imported footwear and clothing items, including underwear, we can reveal. A Zimbabwean opposition MP described the latest move as “absolutely barmy.”

Zambia and Zimbabwe have signed a bilateral agreement that will see the transformation of Chirundu into a one-stop border post - and that will reduce transit times for imports and exports through border.

It is business as usual for South African retailers in Zimbabwe who are keeping a positive spirit despite the economic meltdown and political uncertainty in the country. Large South African retailers, including Massmart, Edgars, OK and Pick ‘n Pay have business interests in Zimbabwe, and indicated they are not about to jump ship despite the recent spate of arrests of business executives accused of not complying with government orders to cut down prices.